


Make It Our Own

by michals



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Sparrow Academy (Umbrella Academy), Family, Fluff, Gen, Number Five | The Boy and Luther Hargreeves are Twins, Sibling Bonding, Tattoos, slight body dysmorphia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:01:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29476641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/michals/pseuds/michals
Summary: Vanya didn't get an Umbrella Academy tattoo when she was a kid and Luther's faded away when his body changed, maybe now that they're on the other side of everything they can make it theirs as a family and not just a painful reminder.
Relationships: Luther Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves, The Hargreeves Family
Comments: 24
Kudos: 66





	Make It Our Own

“Does it hurt a lot?” Vanya asks, as she watches a man squirm in a chair as the tattoo needles drags across his chest. She tries not to do the same in her chair at the front of the room.

Luther thinks about that for a moment, “Kind of?” He gives an apologetic little smile and a shrug. “I’m probably not the best person to ask.”

Vanya returns the smile, “Fair.” She’s been jealous of Luther’s endurance before, wished for it in a subconscious way every time she got a paper cut. Definitely wished she’d had it when she fell out of the sky 20 feet to the snowy ground in 1963.

“The forearm can’t be that bad,” Luther says thoughtfully, “there’s some muscle there, it’d be worse on the bone.” He gives a nod towards the guy getting one across his sternum, “That probably…sucks.”

Luther’s practical knowledge of all kinds of things has become evident lately, now that everything’s calmed down he’s actually been sharing the myriad of things he’d studied while holed up in the house. If Vanya asked a follow up question she could probably get him started on a whole spiel about anatomy and pain receptors and whatnot.

She’s a little too nervous to do that though, the droning buzz of the machines is getting under her skin (she’d almost make that joke out loud if she was calmer) and all she can think about is needles.

She’d been jealous back then watching her siblings get their tattoos there in the foyer, getting a permanent mark of their team, not just as superheroes but as a family. Every time she saw one of them with their sleeves pulled up she felt further and further away from them, another way she didn’t match, didn’t fit in.

But she’s had time to think about it since, in these months since being back from both apocalypses, had time to talk to the brothers and sister she’d never felt close to. And they’d been more than happy to talk too, which surprised her. Extra Ordinary, in hindsight, had been an act of someone angry and sad and still under her father’s thumb, even if she didn’t realize that part. Now she saw his thumbprints on her siblings too, like a brand, like a tattoo. She’d take it back if she could, unwrite it.

“Luther?” calls a man behind the counter. He’s lanky and dressed in all black, covered head to toe in his own ink. His name’s Matt and he’s their artist.

Luther stands and raises his hand like a kid, Matt waves him over. “Right this way big guy.”

Only Vanya notices the slight twitch of his eyelids. It was agreed in private between the rest of them that ‘big guy’ was off limits but he still gets it plenty from others. Vanya kind of wishes she could tell Matt that.

Luther points over his shoulder to Vanya, “Can my sister come in too?”

Matt peers over the desk at a clipboard. “Vanya?” she nods, “Yeah, you’re next anyway, come on over.”

They round the counter and follow Matt to the back of the shop where he pulls up a folding chair next to the tattoo chair that looks like something from a barbershop. Luther takes a seat in it at Matt’s instruction and Vanya perches timidly at the edge of the folding chair. Matt slides over on a rolling stool, snapping on a pair of latex gloves.

“Alright let’s see what we’re working with.”

Luther hesitates, and Vanya knew he would, before he rolls up his sleeve on his left forearm. He’s wearing his fingerless gloves like always.

He’s talked about it some, since they’d all come back, about the accident and the time after but even that little bit had come sparingly. The modification had been the reason he lost the tattoo in the first place. He still seems too aware of himself and his body at all times, Vanya supposes it must be impossible to ignore. He only takes his gloves off occasionally, but she’s happy to say it’s usually around them.

Matt looks at the skin with a critical eye and it’s hard to tell if he’s just assessing for the job or he’s as curious as most people are. (Once someone caught a glimpse and asked if Luther had been in a fire, Allison had rumored him to walk into a wall.)

Matt pulls out the stencil, squinting as he carefully applies it in the middle of Luther’s forearm. Right where the others’ are. Vanya feels herself smile suddenly at the sight.

“Looks good?” Matt asks.

“Good, yeah?” Luther says, looking to Vanya. She nods enthusiastically.

“Alright,” Matt picks up the tattoo gun, raises his eyebrows at Luther, “Ready? Need to brace yourself?”

Luther pauses, but probably not to brace himself. Luther’s so expressive – how had she not noticed that before all this? – that he gives himself away easy. It’s not about the pain. She reaches up to put just her fingertips against his other elbow.

“No, I’m good yeah,” he says with a nod.

It’s the buzzing of the machine as it starts up that ramps up Vanya’s nerves again and it’s her that almost flinches as the needle starts in on his arm. They both just watch for a minute as Matt draws the first lines.

When Luther looks over at her she knows she looks as anxious as she feels, eyebrows furrowed and still at the edge of her seat. She catches his eye and gives a questioning look.

“Ow?” he says. She laughs.

“Doesn’t hurt?”

“No,” he looks apologetic, “sorry.”

Matt glances up at them. “Honestly it’s usually the big macho guys that’re the most delicate.” He gives a quick side eye to the man moaning over in the next seat, he’s not Luther’s size but he doesn’t look delicate.

“ _Hey_ ,” the guy whines and Vanya ducks her head to hide her smirk.

“Am I macho?” Luther asks, squinting in consideration.

Vanya doesn’t answer right away but has to shake her head, “No, not really.” Luther gives an understanding huff of laughter. “Diego’s macho.”

“And Diego hates needles,” Luther says, “proves the theory.”

She’d thought of that at one point as she started considering doing this, wonders if the tattoo had been where he’d developed the fear. It had made her heart sink to realize the possibility, made her feel even guiltier that once upon a time she’d been so jealous and angry about it. Matt finishes the stem of the umbrella and twists Luther’s arm gently to start on the canopy.

The others don’t actually know they’re doing this. It had been Vanya’s idea, it had come to her suddenly one night as they were sitting around the great room, drinking and half playing games of scrabble that she kept losing (not as bad as Klaus and Diego though, and Allison had to be reminded several times as the night and the drinks wore on that words in other languages didn’t count). Klaus was practically shirtless in a yellow crocheted vest and she’d caught sight of his tattoo and thought, ‘ _maybe that can be ours now’_.

She had kept it to herself for a while, turned it over in her head. Had at one point drawn it on her arm in marker like she had as a kid just to see. What if the others got mad? What if it was nothing more than an ugly, permanent reminder of their horrible childhood and the hold Reginald Hargreeves still had over them? What if they didn’t want her to have it, that it was still just theirs, what if she still didn’t belong that much?

She’d gone to Luther tentatively. She remembered, when she got her memory back and remembered everything, seeing him boxing in a tank top that he didn’t have one. It had taken her a little while to build up to it and when she told him the idea it still came out kind of quiet.

“You _want_ one?” Luther had asked, face scrunched in confusion.

“Yeah, I mean,” she’d shrugged self consciously, sitting on his bed as he was cross legged on the floor reorganizing his albums to include the ten new ones he’d just bought (his collection had grown substantially in the last few months, several new milk crates stacked almost to the ceiling). “Everyone else has them, we could all match. Maybe we could…make it ours.”

Luther had gone silent for a bit, obviously pensive. Luther was delicate in this way, when it came to the Academy, his place in it, his place that their father had shoved him into. If he didn’t want to she’d understand.

But then he said, “Yeah,” and smiled, “Yeah, let’s do it.”

“The others will like it, right?” Vanya asks now, unable to look anywhere but at the black marks emerging on Luther’s arm.

Luther doesn’t look super confident, but tilts his head, “Probably.”

“Little late now,” Matt teases, not looking up and Luther lets out a resigned breath, “you gonna skip out on him? Leave him stuck with an unmatched tattoo?”

“No,” Vanya says right away. She’s going to do this, she wants to do this. Luther looks grateful and she gives a reassuring grin.

Matt switches out the colors as he reaches the final bit: the handle of the umbrella. It’s small and he finishes quick and then there it is, all done. He wipes it down with a solution and sits back.

“Go take a look.”

Luther takes a breath before he stands and turns towards the mirror on the wall next to Matt’s station. He stands there with his arm twisted out and stares at it. He’s quiet.

Vanya pushes herself off her chair and gingerly comes up to his side, looking at his reflection and her beside him. It’s stark and defined even against his off colored skin, undeniable. She tilts her head against his arm (she doesn’t even come up to his shoulder).

“It’s good,” she says. He takes another breath and his muscles relax some. “Now you and Five have one way you look alike,” she says lightly. At that Luther lets out a laugh.

The twin thing had been both surprising and, frankly, very funny.

Luther relaxes more and there’s a small smile across his lips. It’s good.

“Alright, let me wrap it up,” Matt says, calling them back to the chair. He puts Vaseline on the tattoo and plastic wrap over it, detailing the aftercare process as he does it. He gives one last pat to the tape as he secures it and then looks to Vanya. “You ready?”

Yes. She’s pretty sure yes.

She and Luther swap places, she tries not to act too obviously cautious as she sits in the chair. Matt’s fidgeting with his equipment as he sanitizes and swaps out his materials. 

“Nervous?” Luther asks.

She tries not to look it anymore than she already does. “No?” And they both laugh at that.

“Maybe we’ll end up covered up like Klaus,” he says.

“Maybe,” she responds, but she can’t imagine it. “Allison probably has to get hers covered all the time doesn’t she? For movies?” Just small talk as they wait, trying to distract.

“Oh sure. Diego for all his magazine photoshoots.” She snorts at the thought.

“Doughnuts after?” he asks. They’d just eaten before this, she’d read you’re not supposed to get a tattoo on an empty stomach, makes you less likely to get woozy. But doughnuts do sound good.

“Griddy’s?”

“We’ll take some back for Five.”

“He’s gonna be mad we went without him.”

Luther shrugs, “He can add it to the list of things he’s usually mad about.” Luther lives with him in the house, he’s more used to it than even her. Five’s definitely not quite the angry person he’d been in those weeks since coming back, he’s more ‘curmudgeonly’ these days.

“Ok,” Matt says, holding up another stencil. “Ready?”

Vanya rolls up her sleeve and rests her arm and Matt smoothes the paper against her skin, pulling it off with a flourish. “Look right?”

She turns to Luther for confirmation. “Yeah, that’s right,” he says.

Matt pulls out the tattoo gun and raises his eyebrows in question before he turns it on. She takes a breath. “Alright.”

She tries her hardest not to tense up as the needle touches her arm. It’s, well, sharp and needle like. She’s had shots before, has had blood drawn, but there’s something very specifically different when the tattoo gun drags across her skin. It hurts, but she doesn’t feel like jumping out of the chair.

“Okay?” Luther asks.

“Okay,” she answers. He tentatively brings up his hand, offers it to her.

The pain’s not that bad honestly, but…still. She takes his hand in hers. It’s almost ridiculously tiny in comparison, even without the modifications Luther would still be considerably larger than her. She gives his hand a squeeze.

“Now, I gotta ask,” Matt says, “is this something to do with those Academy kids? The superheroes?”

Luther and Vanya share a look.

“Kind of,” Luther says. “We, uhm, used to read the comics.”

“Had the action figures,” Vanya supplies, “It’s a family thing.”

“Inside joke,” Luther says.

And Vanya actually wants to laugh at that. They didn’t have inside jokes as kids, barely had time to play games and even then Vanya wasn’t always included. At the time it seemed malicious, on purpose, and she’d written that in her book (she was in college and listening to the radio one day around Christmas when she first heard that song about Rudolph the red nosed reindeer and it had only made her angry and upset). Now she sees that they were kids and they’d only been acting exactly as their father had brought them up to act. Without him looming over them they’d accepted her into the fold as easy as anything. They’d never be those families on TV, but they can have inside jokes now.

“Oh yeah, I had one or two of those. Had a crush on The Rumor when I was like 13,” Matt says, drawing a line in an arc to start the first bit of the top of the umbrella. “Seen all her movies now too.”

They share another glance between them, Vanya almost offers to get him an autograph.

Vanya asks Luther questions then to distract herself – it’s really not bad but it’s impossible for it not to hurt and she doesn’t have his powers – and he ends up giving her and Matt a lesson about string theory and she’s not even sure how they got started on that.

“Almost done,” Matt says as he switches the colors again, black to the reddish brown of the umbrella handle.

She hasn’t been watching as closely as she had to Luther’s when he was getting his, but she looks closer now, watches as the last little bit is finished.

“Go take a look,” Matt says again. She hops out of the chair and goes to the mirror.

It’s a lot better than the marker version. She wondered if it would look strange, out of place, that she’d regret it as soon as it was done. But she doesn’t, not at all. She’s still nervous, still a little wary of showing the others in case she’s gotten this all wrong, but she can’t keep the smile off her face looking at it. It’s hers now, it’s hers too.

Luther appears in the mirror behind her. “It’s good,” he says.

Matt reels off the aftercare instructions again (“Gotta do it,” he says) as he wraps it up and she can’t keep her eyes off it as he does. She doesn’t roll her sleeve down as they step away to the counter to pay.

The shop’s not far from Griddy’s so they walk. The leaves are turning brown, the air is brisk and edging towards cold, Vanya pulls her coat around her tighter but Luther doesn’t seem to notice the weather. They step into Griddy’s and Agnes greets them as always, they’ve become regulars and she knows them all by name by now. They sit and talk over doughnuts, about stupid little things like the announcements of new museum exhibits they saw in the paper, the upcoming philharmonic season, about how Vanya’s mail keeps getting delivered to her blind neighbor, the kinds of things they never got to talk about before.

At one point she lays her arm out on the table, her tattoo bold against her pale skin, and Luther pushes his sleeve up and lays it next to hers so they line up. It’s good.

* * *

They don’t share them with the others just yet. It’s two days later and they’re having what’s unofficially been dubbed ‘Family Game Night’ (“Ya know, like regular people do!” Klaus had said) but it’s really just an excuse for takeout and cocktails.

Vanya has a key so she lets herself in and makes her way to the great room where Klaus is already sprawled on the couch with a drink in hand. Five’s at the bar with Luther, arguing mildly about something as Five mixes margaritas, bright pink cocktail umbrellas on the bar top ready to go.

“Vanya darling! Welcome!” Klaus says with a gesture that sets his kimono waving.

She gives him a once over, “You’re early.”

“It’s not a long walk from the second floor,” Five says archly from the back, kicking on the blender pointedly.

They wait til he stops, then Vanya asks, “Another one?”

“What can I say? Some people just do not have the sophistication to appreciate Bowie’s Tin Machine era played at the proper volume.”

Klaus has actually had several apartments since they came back, emphasis on ‘had’. First one he’d gotten kicked out of because of an almost industrial level of pot smoke and the next one because of a party that could be better described as a ‘bacchanal’.

“He didn’t pay rent,” Luther says over his shoulder.

“Also that,” Klaus says with a shrug. “I can’t just suddenly…keep schedules and whatnot.”

Vanya smiles and shakes her head as she takes a seat on another loveseat. Klaus has been enormously more successful in his sobriety in the past few months, even giving into much cajoling and going to Narcotics Anonymous and finding a counselor. He’s not always perfect, still has the odd rave night, still drinks like a fish at times, but he’s miles away from what he used to be. Vanya’s proud of him.

“You’re gonna end up back here for good at this rate,” Five grumbles.

“Oh no, how unfortunate for you,” Klaus says in mock dismay, waggling his eyebrows at Vanya.

Luther comes to hand her a drink – Vanya has no idea where these margarita glasses could have come from or why they’ve had them so long – and they share a knowing look. She’s been taking good care of her tattoo, following the instructions and trying not to poke at it too much. She’s got it covered for now, waiting for the right moment. Luther’s as buttoned up as usual.

It’s only a few minutes later that the door opens and Diego and Allison’s voices burst into the foyer.

“We had Thai last month, I don’t want Thai,” Diego grouses.

“Other people might want Thai,” Allison says, voice tight but restrained.

“Other people might want burgers for once.”

“We have never ordered burgers, you are never getting burgers.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake.”

They walk in side by side, Klaus says, “I’d be down for Thai.” Diego throws his head back with a groan.

Allison comes up to Vanya’s seat and gives her shoulder a squeeze, “Hey, how you doing?”

“Good,” Vanya tilts her head up to look at her above the couch back, “Real good. Got a call back.”

“Ooh, that’s exciting,” Allison says as she drops into the spot next to her. She bought a place in the next neighborhood over only weeks after they got back and flies back and forth between here and Los Angeles. They say that she has ‘dual citizenship’.

“Yeah, it’s nice. It’s not anything for sure, but-” she shrugs. She’s not entirely used to being optimistic with everything yet, but she’s working on it.

Allison smirks and her eyes shine, “Well, if you think they need a little convincing you know where to find me.”

Vanya gives her a sidelong look, “How about I try it without rumors first?” Allison puts her hands up in a ‘just saying’ gesture. Allison doesn’t abuse her powers but she’s not afraid of them like she used to be enough that she can joke about them now.

Luther appears again, another drink in hand that he gives to Allison before returning to the bar to grab another one from Five.

“I don’t want one of those, you got scotch?” Diego asks from his place on the couch next to Klaus.

Five’s glare pierces even from across the room, pointedly pouring out the slusheed ice into a fruity margarita glass. Luther looks at it for a second before grabbing a highball glass and pouring it in before going over and handing it to Diego.

Diego takes it begrudgingly but takes a sip anyway. He gives an approving tilt of his head just small enough that Vanya only notices cause she’s watching.

Five finally steps away from the bar, handing Luther a drink of his own and flopping down on the last couch with Luther on the other side.

“So we all agree on Thai?” Allison asks.

“No, come on,” Diego asks and then takes another drink.

She rolls her eyes, “Alright fine, but we’re not getting burgers.”

“Chinese?” Klaus throws out.

“Sandwiches,” Diego counters.

“Sushi,” Allison double counters.

“Indian,” Five says into his glass.

“Italian,” Diego says, throwing his arms up.

“Greek?” Klaus says and the four of them groan.

“Luther? Opinions?” Allison asks.

Luther looks around at them and just shrugs. Allison slides her gaze to Vanya who shyly does the same. Luther will eat pretty much anything and Vanya isn’t picky, they’re never the tie breakers.

“Alright, alright,” Klaus puts his hands out like he’s calming a group of children, “pizza.”

“ _Yes_ ,” Diego says emphatically.

Allison considers this. “I’ll fold.” She turns to Five.

“I don’t care anymore, I’m starving.”

“Hell yes,” Diego hops up to grab the phonebook.

“He doesn’t get to pick the game,” Allison says when he’s out of the room. They all agree.

This however kicks off the debate on what game they’re going to play.

Diego returns a couple minutes later, no doubt having made a detour to see mom, asking what everyone wants and everyone yells out their individual choices before going back to the game argument.

Vanya finds herself smiling as everyone shoots down Klaus’s suggestion of Monopoly. It’s so…easy. She didn’t think it would be this easy for all of them to be like this now. The getting here was tough, wasn’t kind, it took two apocalypses and hard won progress, even now the whole ‘talking about their childhood’ thing can be shaky ground. But here like this, arguing over whether to play Yathzee or Life, feels as though the potential for this was always there, buried under the years. The tattoo is still covered by her shirt but she glances down at her arm.

Luther turns to Five and gives him a considering look with a raise of his eyebrows and Five tilts his head and then nods. “Pictionary?” Luther suggests.

“Oh no,” Diego says coming back to the couch and grabbing his drink, “You two are gonna use your weird twin telepathy bullshit you’ve got going.”

“We do not have telepathy, fuck’s sake,” Five sneers. He says that but ever since they’d found out it did seem like they’d suddenly jumped onto a similar wavelength. They had all figured out that their powers worked better (and Vanya’s worked at all) the more they knew about them and concentrated on them. It feels entirely likely now that Five and Luther know they may as well have some kind of subconscious connection.

Even Allison narrows her eyes, “Hmm, not taking the chance on you having an unfair advantage.”

“It’s only unfair that I’m ten times smarter than anyone in this room.”

This only makes everyone laugh. Five tries to be intimidating, it doesn’t work as well these days.

It takes fifteen minutes before they settle on Clue. It’s still not gonna be a fair fight against Five but at least he has to play by the rules. Allison and Klaus play rock-paper-scissors to see who gets to be Miss Scarlet. Allison wins this round. Vanya’s already nabbed Colonel Mustard, she likes yellow. She gives Diego a not overly apologetic look as she holds up the piece. He huffs but picks up Mr. Green.

Klaus holds up the white piece, “Guess it’s me and the old maid.”

It takes another twenty minutes just to get settled in, everyone to get their second round of drinks, and the board set up and then as soon as that happens the doorbell rings. Diego hops out of his seat to answer it. When he comes back he puts the boxes on top of the game board.

“Plates, Diego,” Allison says.

Diego’s already biting into a slice of pepperoni, “It’s pizza, it’s not fancy.”

“I’m just gonna wash up,” Vanya says, trying to be casual.

She catches Luther’s eye across from her as he puts Mrs. Peacock at the start mark. He gives her that small grin and she hops off to the bathroom. She likes that it was Luther, that she and him have something that’s theirs now. They hadn’t been close as kids and she’d spent most of her life feeling further from him than any of the others. But now they had “things”, stuff that was just theirs. That tattoo belongs to all of them (at least that’s what she hopes they’ll think) but getting it was just his and hers.

She pushes up her sleeves to wash her hands but doesn’t roll them down as she comes back to the great room, taking her seat but not saying anything. Her nerves feel like they’re humming.

“How did we already lose a piece?” Allison says, “Didn’t I just buy this?”

Klaus waves a hand at her as he gets up and goes to the mantle, taking down a foot tall gold plated candlestick, “Luckily we have a whole shitload of these things lying around. Ya know I don’t think I ever saw one lit.” Vanya thinks about it and realizes that no, she never did either. “Daddy lived for the _esthétique_.”

Diego grimaces at the same time Luther mutters, “Please don’t call him that.”

Klaus spins the candlestick around like a baton twirler and he rounds the couches at the same time Vanya reaches for a slice of pizza.

“Hey! Hey hey! What’s that?” His eyes are wide as he nabs her wrist and gently twists her arm around to see the new ink. He gasps. “You got a tattoo! _The_ tattoo.”

He doesn’t sound upset, just surprised. Vanya still feels shy as everyone else leans over the table to get a look.

“Yeah,” she says, watching everyone’s faces, “I thought…maybe we could make it ours now. Like, only ours.” Not his, not Reginald’s, not some brand he left on them but instead a symbol of the things they’d been through and how they’d found each other on the other side. She knows she doesn’t need to say that out loud.

Allison breaks out into a wide grin, eyes sparkling, “I love it.” Her voice is so fond any kind of anxiousness Vanya still felt melts away.

“That’s…,” Diego says, pensive for a moment, “really neat actually.”

Vanya gives a nod towards Luther, “Luther got his fixed too.”

All eyes turn to Luther and he shrugs just as modestly as she had and rolls up his sleeve. “It was Vanya’s idea, I...wanted it back too.”

Five leans over to inspect it.

“It’s nice,” Five says in his ‘I approve and that’s final’ way with some extra fondness thrown in, “good idea Vanya.”

Vanya isn’t used to being proud yet but she feels a swell of it in her chest.

“It’s _poetic_ ,” Klaus holds up his hands, his own ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ facing out, then picks up his glass. “Fuck dad.”

“Fuck dad,” Diego repeats, clinking his glass against his. Allison and Vanya follow suit. It’s Luther who pauses for just a second longer; he hasn’t shaken his loyalty to Reginald just yet, hasn’t completely reconciled his hatred for what he’d done with how he still knows him as ‘dad’. Five hits his glass against his with a small reassuring look. Then they toast with the others and everyone drinks.

Klaus speaks up then, voice gentle and gaze on the middle distance, “We should get one for Ben.”

They should, Vanya thinks. Something there permanent and always. Not just a weather worn statue in an empty courtyard. They have their memories and those they _have_ wrested away from Reginald’s hands, able now to talk about him without the cloud of all the bad things ruining the good.

“An octopus,” Klaus says. He gets shouted down by literally all of them.

“Could’ve gotten a zero though,” Diego says, “all of us. For team zero.”

“As if you could handle getting another one,” Five says, picking up the dice and rolling to determine his place in turn order.

Diego blanches as he considers that. “Did it hurt?”

Vanya says ‘yes’ at the same time Luther says ‘no’.

“The pain’s easy, it’s the _itching_ ,” Klaus says, scrunching up his nose. “Ecstasy couldn’t even get rid of that.”

Vanya actually might agree on that - the itching part - hers is just starting to get there. The way Luther shakes his arm out a little tells her his is doing the same. 

“ _Don’t_ scratch it,” Klaus says emphatically, pointing at both of them. Both her and Luther’s face twist at the thought.

“Hey, now you two have one physical trait in common,” Allison says to Five and Luther, smirking behind her glass.

“That’s what I said,” Vanya tells her.

“What are you talking about? Isn’t the resemblance uncanny?” Fives asks in a deadpan.

“People still think he’s my kid,” Luther tells them.

“I’m _well_ aware, thanks,” Five says snidely. Luther grins and Five kicks his ankle.

“Huh, you and your 13 year old kid have matching tattoos, someone’s gonna call child protective services,” Diego says around a mouthful of pizza. Five glares harder.

“That’s a call long overdue,” Klaus says with a snort. There’s a murmur of assent around the room and Diego and Klaus toast glasses again. That should be a mood killer but it’s actually kind of funny, another inside joke that only they get. It’s dark but Vanya kind of likes it, definitely not something to say in public though.

“I’m first,” Diego says triumphantly, finishing the last dice roll. “Give me the cards.”

And from then it’s an easy night, easy like it’s become for them. They all have another drink – or two - and the game takes forever between all the interruptions and distractions including the remembering of the time they’d played tag and Five tried to blink away except he’d tripped on a rug and chipped a tooth which leads to even more stories. Five wins the first game of Clue and Diego, half drunk, accuses Luther of cheating and giving Five the answer with their ‘twin telepathy bullshit’ and when Luther asks, “If I knew why wouldn’t I have just won?” and Diego doesn’t have a rebuttal.

Vanya catches Allison looking at her tattoo, a soft tipsy smile on her face which she turns to Vanya and Vanya returns it. At one point, while the boys argue, Allison holds hers up and puts their forearms together kind of like Vanya had done with Luther at the diner.

She helps Allison take the pizza boxes away as they set up a second game even though it’s nearly 11PM, and before she goes back to her seat she comes around the back of Luther’s couch and folds her arms and leans against it, looking at where he hasn’t put his sleeve back in place – which is significant on its own – and the tattoo that they now get to share. He looks over his shoulder, reaches up to hold her elbow for a moment.

She wins the second game, her tattoo itches, and her siblings are debating a third round (it’s 1AM) and she feels good. It’s good.

* * *

A week later Matt gets an envelope in the shop’s mail and pulls out a signed headshot from Allison Hargreeves with the message, ‘ _Thanks for being a fan’_. He spends the day very happy but very confused.

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably the fluffiest thing I'm capable of writing for this show lol. Is it weird I've never actually played Clue/Cluedo? I don't even know how to.


End file.
